this is a really great idea i just wanna share. im rushing though because i have to finish tons of stuff, so here it is!
neat right? never occurred to me to make my own. really cool :) click the link for the how-to

i was rummaging through my files looking for photos i had stashed to get printed--eventually-- photos by other people that i found inspiring and creatively palate-cleansing, and i stumbled on these photos of a road trip with my two oldest friends. i don't think i was able to post them even though i had planned on doing so hehe so after several months i'm posting them here, to remind me how precious friends are and how important taking a breather is :) stay safe everyone, let's buckle down for another rainy, windy weekend.

my sister gave me 2 sets of micro beads last month. one set was metallic, the other was all pastels i think. that's 24 jars of yummy-colored beads i was clueless about using :D
since i got them, i've played around with a few ideas, but with the dog bracelet and the stuff i have to finish for the bazaar on november and the stuff i have to make for my sister and cousins by september 22, i didn't think i'd have much play time-- then fate stepped in and made me sick, landing me the role of couch potato for the remainder of the week and the entire weekend. funny how things work themselves out sometimes :)

i started with a white base and covered that with an assortment of canes, flattened each slice and re-shaped the base. i then slicked on a thin layer of liquid medium so the beads have something to hold on to while the whole thing bakes.

shake. shake. shake.

i used a brush to GENTLY brush of the excess and coax the other beads to fill the gaps.

received a few sample of Johz Co. Clay a couple of months ago and today i decided to make a few stuff with them.
usually i use different brands of clay when i make stuff to get the effect i want in terms of flexibility, finish, color.
with my canes though, i don't stick with the same brand, instead i use those that have the same firmness.
making this cane, i found the clay a bit on the soft-sticky side. not necessarily bad, since i look for a little tacky-ness so the parts stick together easily, lessening the occurrence of air bubbles. a bit soft if you're one who doesn't like to wait for your cane to stiffen -- that's me. but given a few days, the pattern and shape should hold up nicely.

for this dragon, i used pale pink, light blue and pale yellow Johz Co. Clay for parts of the wing and the ears.
i really, really love the colors. they look so dreamy-- and yummy!! haha the word "taffy" came to mind while making these.
after baking it takes on a matte finish…

i've done several sculptures of dogs over the past years, but every time i do, i learn something new or i find a way to make it better. white, furry dogs for me are especially tricky to do. so when i agreed to make 8 dogs, some of them hairy, some of them white, while some were hairy AND white, i had second thoughts. i tried making them the usual way, but i couldn't sculpt the clay to make it look the way i wanted it to look. i got stuck, the project stalled and gathered dust on my table, and pinned me with an accusing glare every time i walked by.

i was about to finally accept defeat at the hands paws of white, hairy dogs, but what stopped me was my client's obvious love and devotion to her pets and i knew i couldn't say No-- how could i to a kindred spirit? :)

a few good things came out of this experience. for one thing, i think i finally got over my white-hairy-dog apprehension. the other things are happy accidents and the result of finding my seldom-used acrylic …